Probe team to visit dead West Bengal cop’s office Tuesday

Kolkata, Feb 16 (IANS) West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID), probing the death of a police officer who had carried initial investigations in the sensational Rizwanur case, will visit his office Tuesday for clues to his mysterious death, an official said here Monday.

The body of Arindam Manna, posted with the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Dum Dum, was found Feb 11 near the Mankundu railway station under the jurisdiction of Sheoraphuli GRP. It bore injury marks on legs, hands and eyes.

“A team of CID officials will visit the Dum Dum GRP Tuesday to find clues to his death. In the process, they will also open Manna’s office locker and interrogate his colleagues,” said state Additional Director General of CID, Bhupinder Singh Monday.

Meanwhile, CID Monday interrogated the officer-in-charge of Sheoraphuli GRP Somnath Bhattacharya at the CID headquarters at Bhavani Bhawan in south Kolkata.

Regarding Manna’s death, Bhattacharya had earlier said ‘prima facie it is a case of suicide’.

CID also interrogated Manna’s fiance Monday and found that the couple last talked to each other Feb 10.

“We are sure that Manna didn’t die because of problems in his personal life. CID will try to find out if Manna was having any problem in office Tuesday,” Singh said.

Additional Director General (ADG) Rail Dilip Mitra had earlier asked state police Inspector General (rail) and superintendent of railway police (Howrah) to probe if the GRP are involved in Manna’s death.

“The report was to be submitted Monday. But I have still not received the report and will be able to tell media our findings only after that,” Mitra said.

Rizwanur Rehman, a 30-year-old graphic designer working with a multimedia firm, was found dead Sep 21, 2007, near the railway tracks at Patipukur suburb here, barely a month after his marriage with Priyanka, daughter of Kolkata industrialist Ashok Todi who was firmly opposed to the match.

As a Hindu-Muslim love story gone wrong, Rizwanur’s death shocked the entire nation.

Todi, his brother Pradeep, brother-in-law Anil Saraogi and four city police officers were accused of threatening and pressurising Rizwanur to annul his marriage with Priyanka and stay away from her. They all were arrested but are now out on bail.